Locating an individual to lead your organization in starting a Company Health and Wellness Program
Without a qualified Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator to lead and manage your organization’s creation of a culture of wellness, efforts can be scattered and momentum can stall. While it’s essential that the creation of a culture of wellness be someone’s priority, not all organizations need a full-time coordinator. There are a number of ways to secure the time of a qualified coordinator.
Be careful not to confuse Company Health and Wellness Program skills with fitness skills. You are not looking for a personal trainer or a nutritionist to run your Corporate Health Promotion Program. The following are good indications that an individual may be qualified to be a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator:
• knowledge of community health, population health and worksite Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives
• competent working with and understanding aggregate data, preferably Company Health and Wellness Program data
• competent managing projects, including developing timelines and facilitating meetings
• competent in strategic planning, including defining goals and related objectives
• ability to understand, and use the findings of, journal articles on effective Company Health and Wellness Program Procedures.
What will a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator do?
The Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator is accountable for guiding a process that establishes worksite facilities, policies and practices that promote health. The individual may do some of all of the following for your Corporate Health Promotion Program:
• act as a liaison between upper management and the Company Health and Wellness Program employee advisory workgroup
• interpret health-related data on your Company Health and Wellness Program
• establishe and manage work plans and budgets for implementation of selected Company Health and Wellness Program Procedures
• facilitate Health Promotion Committee meetings
• lead your organization in setting measurable objectives for the Company Health and Wellness Program
• recommend effective Company Health and Wellness Program Procedures, using the evidence in the health behavior literature and national and/or recommended best practices
• document and report short-term and long-term progress on Company Health and Wellness Program Procedures and objectives.
Where can we find a qualified Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator?
Explore the following when looking for a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator:
• Existing staff: Are there individuals on staff who have the background, or are interested in gaining the skills, to support as a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator? Is it possible to dedicate a portion of someone’s time (e.g., .5 FTE) to the position of coordinating your organization’s Company Health and Wellness Program Procedures? If possible, budget enough to cover not only salary but also continued learning, journal subscriptions and membership fees for this Company Health and Wellness Program position.
• New staff – Can you hire an individual to be your organization’s Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator? Would it need to be a full-time position, or would part-time be sufficient?
• Company Health and Wellness Program Consultation – Various organizations (e.g., health plans, benefit consultants and public health departments) provide Company Health and Wellness Program consultation on building a culture of wellness within a worksite.
An outside Company Health and Wellness Program consultant can advise an internal Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator and your Health Promotion Committee on setting priorities and selecting Procedures. Or, you can contract with a Company Health and Wellness Program consultant to be your coordinator. If you select the latter approach, you’ll want to contract with the individual for sufficient hours to carry out all of the responsibilities associated with coordinating an effective strategy.
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